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@catholicparenting101
Live a dynamic Catholic life, and get Catholic answers to life's questions. Catholic Video on what it means to raising a Catholic family by speaker Ken Yasin...
Check out this really good video about the goal of every Catholic parent!
Last Words
My moral and ethical stance has been developing my entire life, however it started with the lessons from my own parents and family. I can still remember my grandma sitting with me and telling me all about the global injustices occurring around the world. We’d even watch Oprah together because we both found her to be such an inspiration and amazing person. I have never forgotten the lessons my parents have taught me about morals and ethics, and thus that is why I feel such a big responsibility to God and my children to raise them to have a good moral and ethical stance. Especially since these lessons you learn when you’re young stay with you for the rest of your life, and I want my children to have good lessons to be able to help others and contribute to the world. My goal is to have them be inspirations such as Oprah. That they’d see an injustice and do everything they can to fix it, or they see someone in need and help them just as my passage said that supports my stance. At the end of the day, your children are your living legacy. They are the ones who will continue on the family name, so I hope that everyone is teaching their children good morals and ethics. Always remember, we are what survives us. P.S if you have any questions, comments, or if there are any other blog topics you guys would like me to discuss and write about let me know. I’ll be happy to hear from you. :) -Mama Bear
My Moral and Ethical Stance in Action
By living my moral and ethical stance as a parent, I am answering the call to be Christ Alive and contributing to a healthy and just society. “The family is the fundamental gift to humanity. It is the first, natural, living cell of society, on which all other communities and societies are based and the first, living cell of the Church” (The Second International Theological Pastoral Congress at the Second World Meeting of the Holy Father with Families, The Family: Gift, Promise, and Hope for Humanity, October 3, 1997, 2.1). Since family and being a parent is such an important part of society and the Catholic Church, it contributes immensely to the common good of society. Since I have baptised both of my children, and are raising them in the Church, I have contribute to the common good of society. I am educating them how to love and be a contributing member of society. They are learning to be good citizens and serve the needs of others. By using and passing on my moral and ethical stance, I am contributing to a healthy and just society, because my family is moral and is trying to make a positive change in the world – to make it better for everyone. Which is exactly what Jesus did for everyone. He is the example of how to act and what to do, and calls us to follow in His footsteps by being Christ Alive. He taught many lessons on morality for parents. My favourite lesson is in the Parable The Prodigal Son. If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can read it in a Bible either hard copy or online in Luke 15:11-24. However to recap, this story is about a father loving his son, forgiving him, welcoming him, and being overjoyed when he discovers that his son is alive. This is a perfect example of the type of love, affection, and forgiveness that should be present between a parent and a child. Instead of punishing his son, he throws a big party. I think that the teachings of this story align perfectly with my moral and ethical stance. I believe that children shouldn’t be harshly punished for a mistake – especially since everyone makes them – instead, we should celebrate the good in children like Jesus did. We should choose to accept them with joy and open arms instead of disappointment and anger. Thus, I really feel that by living my moral and ethical stance as a parent, I am contributing to a healthy and just society, and answering the call to be Christ Alive. -Mama Bear
W. D. Ross’s theoretical understanding of morality explained in The Right and the Good was not meant to be fully comprehensive and determine right and wrong in every situation, but he doesn&#…
For more information on W. D. Ross’ Intuitionism, check out this cool blog!
W. D. Ross’ Intuitionism is a Blessing for Parents
One of the best philosophical theories in my opinion, which aids in my ability to navigate the challenges in parenting is by a man named W. D. Ross. He created a moral theory which is known as Intuitionism. This theory provides what he calls “prima facie” duties, which are duties people are obliged to and are accepted as correct until proven otherwise (if a more important duty trumps it). He outlines eight of these prima facie duties: fidelity, reparation, gratitude, non-injury, harm-prevention, beneficence, self-improvement, and justice. This theory explains that when faced with a decision, one must see which prima facie duties apply, and using the guidelines (such as non-injury overrides every other prima facie duty), one must morally decide which duty to honour. This is the basis of the theory. I feel that it is a very effective way of helping me discern right from wrong, and to make moral decisions. It allows me to look at a situation with no judgements, and I can see which duties apply in that moment. Then, the decision of which duty to follow is guided by the rules of priority of the duties. For example, say I was on the street and an old man collapses right beside me with what appears to be a heart attack. I’m about a block away from the nearest phone where I could call for help. There is a bike nearby with no one else around. I am faced with the moral decision to either take the bike and call for help, or not take the bike and just sit with the old man. Using this theory, I could discern right from wrong and come to a moral decision by identifying the prima facie duties in this situation, and deciding what takes priority. If I don’t take the bike, I have the duty of justice, and if I take the bike I have the duty of harm-prevention. In this circumstance, harm-prevention takes priority and is the actual duty, and I’ve come to my moral decision using this theory. Thus, as shown in the example, this theory is very effective in helping me make moral decisions, and also helps to form my moral and ethical stance by deciding which prima facie duties are more important in different scenarios. This is especially helpful in parenting, since many ethical situations arise. By using this theory, I have a concrete and effective method for discerning which decision to make. I feel this is extremely important since as a parent I am very busy and have many worries, and I don’t want to have to stress over whether or not I made the moral decision. This theory in practice takes the pressure off since there are rules to follow in terms of coming to a moral decision. I feel that since I feel more comfortable having guidelines, that this theory is perfect for me as a parent to decide between moral and immoral. However, although there are rules, I am also using my conscience and I am able to teach my children about the prima facie duties they are obligated to follow. Yet, at the same time I will also be teaching them how to use their God-given conscience to decide which duty is most important in their situation. For these reasons, I think that W. D. Ross’ theory of Intuitionism is perfect for aiding my ability to navigate possible parenting challenges.
-Mama Bear
Community and the Common Good Govern my Actions and Attitude as a Parent
I personally think that the Focus on Faith theme which most accurately supports my moral and ethical stance is community and the common good. This theme is especially important in parenting because a family is a community, and there is always a common good for family. As a mother, community and the common good governs my actions. When I am faced with a moral dilemma, this faith theme calls me to determine what is the common good, and how my decision can align with it. By doing what is best for my family and common good, I am respecting the intrinsic dignity of everyone in the community. I have to ensure my actions align with what is good for everyone, not just myself, and bring everyone together in harmony. For example, just as in the poem The Hangman, everyone should stand up for each other, for the greater good against injustices in order to protect the community and the human dignity of everyone in it. This faith theme governs my actions by calling me to value others, and contribute to the good of the entire community. Although in a parenting role my community is mainly family, I also have to think about the community I live in and my Church community. Think about all the different types of communities you are a part of, and reflect to see if your actions in these communities align with their common good. Anyways, both of those types of communities require my actions to align with the greater good for everyone, and that my attitude is positive. Although it is hard to keep a positive attitude, I must try my best because that is what the communities need, especially my family. It is very difficult to raise a family with a bad attitude, and is setting a bad example for my children. The common good in my family in this regard is to keep my attitude positive, and continually thinking about my family. I should view my life as a community, and always try to decipher what is the common good. This notion supports my ethical and moral stance, and it helps me to decide what is important in my life for the greater good of the community (which again is my family, neighbours, Church, and anyone I come into contact with). -Mama Bear
Secularism - the Biggest Challenge for Catholic Parents
Due to the rise in secularism in our society today, parenting in the twenty-first century has many challenges. One of which is the fact that since our society is technologically advanced, children can now search and find ANYTHING on the internet, and I do mean anything. This is a scary thought as a parent, because there are certain things small children should not be exposed to, heck even adults shouldn’t be exposed to some of the things online. Yes, there are parental blocks that can be placed on the computer and cell phone, however this is still a challenge since not every parent has the same ethical stance as I do, and may not place these blocks on their children’s computers and cell phones. Of course we all know there are children that can be bad influences when it comes to these types of things, so this is a very big challenge in parenting in society today. Secularism also challenges parents, since more and more adults are not Catholic, which means that they aren’t teaching their children Catholic morals and lessons. Consequently, in school, my children will be exposed to friends, and their parents who may contradict Catholic values. This is a big problem in my eyes, since I am trying to raise my children in the Church with good moral and ethical standards, as I promised to do when they were baptized. Which brings me to my next point – baptism. With the rise of secularisation, many people are disagreeing with baptisms. They believe that every person is free to develop their own person and make their own decisions about their faith. However, as a Catholic, I believe that parents have the jurisdiction to make that type of decision for their children. When a child is baptized, the parents and family makes a promise and takes the responsibility of raising that child towards God and into being a disciple of Christ. Catholic parents also make the promise to raise their children to live the Sermon on the Mount to be socially aware and to serve the needs of others. Secularism challenges this promise because it is difficult to raise a child to live in a way contrary to the dominant culture. The dominant culture is what Pope John Paull II called a “culture of death” in Evangelium Vitae. This culture consists of sex before marriage, teen pregnancy, contraception, abortion, and much more. Firstly, sex before marriage – or fornication – is not specifically related to parenting, but it is definitely related to marriage, which is a big part of parenting. Nowadays, people consider the rules of the Church in regards to sexual relations “old-fashioned”. Therefore less and less people are following them, and are committing the immoral act of fornication. This can be a challenge to parenting, because parents need a strong foundation in their marriage in order to successfully be parents. If they are starting out with unethical actions, there is no way they can expect to raise a child ethically, and have a stable relationship which is crucial to a child’s development. Today, about thirty-eight percent of marriages end in divorce – another unethical act in the Church. This is very concerning to me as a parent because divorce abuses the primary environment for ethical and moral formation by teaching children that breaking promises and quitting is okay. Many studies show that divorce harms every individual in the family, and is extremely contrary to Catholic family values where couples made vows and are supposed to work for and honour them. In addition to vows made through marriage, the conjugal act is supposed to be honoured, and the gift of fertility shared. For this reason, contraceptives is morally wrong in the eyes of the Church. Contraceptives take away the gift of fertility, and separates the uniting and procreative aspects of marriage, which are both needed to make the act of sex holy. As St. Augustine said, “those who do this [use contraceptives], although they are called husband and wife, are not; nor do they retain any reality of marriage” (Marriage and Concupiscence 1:15:17). God’s plan for humans is to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), thus meaning that the conjugal act should be done with the possibility of having a child unaltered by unnatural chemicals or devices. The Church reiterates this point in Vademecum for Confessors, which states that contraception is intrinsically evil since it “intentionally renders every marital act unfruitful”. This act is sinful, because the miracle of being human is the ability to co-create with God, this is a sacred gift, and thus suppressing it through the use of immoral contraceptives is wrong. To perform the conjugal act, means that a married couple is open to the miracle of conception, and to interfere with this miracle is a violation of parenting 101. Although contraceptives are banned in the Catholic Church, there are ways to be responsible and moral to plan a family without the use of contraceptives. Spouses are entitled to as many children as they can afford to have – financially, physically, and mentally. Natural family planning (NFP) is the method recognized by the Catholic Church as moral. It allows the spouses to plan to get pregnant when desired, and avoid pregnancy when it would be irresponsible to conceive. This is a moral form of preventing pregnancy, especially because it teaches a couple one of the major lessons of parenting – responsibility. Although NFP is a contraceptive method exclusively for married couples, teenagers should be practicing abstinence. However, since secularism is prevalent in our society today, many teenagers ignore this rule and end up getting pregnant. Which is another challenge secularism poses to parenting. Teen pregnancy can result in many complications of the health of the child and mother, as well as the raising of the child. It is very difficult to raise a child when you are still a child yourself. This is why secularisation is detrimental to children, and to parents. Teen parents have their childhood ripped from them and are forced to grow up and take responsibility, which is very difficult at that age. Which is why it makes me sad that secularisation is the cause of these situations. If more teens were Catholic and followed the teachings and rules of the Church, many of these challenges could be avoided. Which brings me to the final challenge secularism has imposed on parents – abortion. If people were raised in the Church and had the same ethical and moral stance as we do, abortion would not be legal in Canada. It is a direct challenge to moral parenting, and the teachings of the Church. All of these challenges I’ve discussed are a direct effect of secularism. Something needs to be done about this, because the issues will only keep growing from here, and as will the concerned Catholic parents. P.S if you want more information on abortion, read my other blog post “The Intrinsic Dignity of Each Human Person and the Impact on the Inherent Responsibility to Self and Others” and watch the video I linked right after -Mama Bear
Parenting: the Call to Human Happiness and Freedom
Aristotle taught that happiness is the goal for the end of life for every human person. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, this remains somewhat true, since only God can fulfill our longing for happiness. Materialistic and secular things are not the source of true happiness, only loving God and your neighbour is the true source of happiness. Thus, to be reunited with God in Heaven and to achieve happiness, one must live a virtuous life. That is the way to achieve happiness, as outlined by Plato. When it comes to the Catholic Church’s understanding of freedom, it is believed that, “the more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1733). Freedom, as understood by the Church, is only attained by doing good and being moral. Thus, the Catholic understanding of happiness and freedom greatly impacts my moral and ethical stance for parenting. This is because both the understanding of happiness and of freedom has to do with loving and following God, and helping your neighbour. This is very impactful on my moral and ethical stance because it calls me to align my moral and ethical stance to match that which is taught in Catholicism. As a child of God, I naturally want to be moral, ethical, and do the right thing, but the fact that happiness and freedom can be attained only through just decisions inspires me to alter my moral and ethical stance to align with God’s teachings. As a parent, I am called to human happiness and freedom through caring for my bundles of joy which were truly two gifts from God. They have made me the happiest mother, and have given me freedom since I am able to do good in my life. I have the opportunity to raise these children in the way of God, and show them the call to happiness and freedom in their lives. Relating back to my Scripture passage I spoke about in an earlier post (Proverbs 3:27), I am also called to happiness and freedom through the gift of giving. I give everything to my children and family – my time, support, love, empathy, forgiveness, effort, strength, and anything else I could possibly offer. The act of giving is definitely how I respond to my call for human happiness and freedom. I would do anything for my children, and honour the call God has given me. -Mama Bear
Catholic Speaker Ken Yasinski reflects on Gendercide. For more Catholic Videos go to our channel CatholicMinute. It's happening around the world. It is happe...
An interesting video about the global injustice of gendercide. It’s a short video, and definitely worth every minute. I just can’t believe how some people can perform this injustice, even knowing how morally wrong it is. How can these people put a price tag on a person’s life?
Here is the interview I made reference to in my last post. It is very interesting, take a look!
The Intrinsic Dignity of Each Human Person and the Impact on the Inherent Responsibility to Self and Others
The belief in “the intrinsic dignity of each human person” is the basis for all Catholic Social Teaching. In almost, if not every single one of the Catholic Social Teaching documents, the author speaks about the dignity of each human person, and that it should be protected and honoured. This is because human beings are God’s Creation, and there is a trace of Him in each and every one of us. He created each human person with intrinsic dignity, which gives each person value and demands respect. Thus, it is our responsibility as parents to care for one another and respect the dignity of every human person; as said in Mark 12:31, “love thy neighbour”. This intrinsic dignity impacts a parents’ sense of responsibility towards themselves and others. It calls them to protect it, since it is so precious and holy. Since everyone has this intrinsic dignity, no one should be suffering from the global injustices that threaten their human dignity. The fact alone that this dignity which God gave us is so powerful, creates a sense of responsibility to protect it for everyone. This is precisely like the notion of ethical responsibility that Levinas shared. Since we are rooted to God, and He gave everyone the gift of intrinsic dignity, humans are fundamentally designed to help the other. This dignity causes us to feel obligated to respond to the other when they’re in need. Even if the other is someone we hate, we still honour their dignity and feel a sense of responsibility to them because this intrinsic dignity is so powerful. This also applies to one’s self, because we have a responsibility to respect our own dignity, and not do anything that would endanger or threaten it. Since the intrinsic dignity of each human person is so valuable, it gives parents the responsibility to respect their children, and raise them with good morals. This is specifically important because the family is the primary environment for the ethical and moral formation of all its members. This notion is true for a variety of reasons. Firstly, everyone is born with a clean slate in their minds and it’s their parents’ responsibility to fill the slate with ethical and moral teachings. Almost everything children learn about ethics and morality comes from their parents. These lessons occur both directly and indirectly. Parents directly teach children right from wrong in situations, and also teach important values – especially those from the Bible and Catholic Social Teachings. Children learn ethics and morals indirectly from their parents’ actions and reactions to other people and situations. This is where the famous American saying “monkey see, monkey do” comes into play. Children copy what their parents do and believe, and thus family is the perfect environment to learn about ethics and morals. By acting morally, parents are following their responsibility to their children to teach them the moral way of life, as taught by God. Also, the family is perfect for forming these values because of the notion of generativity, and the idea that “I am what survives me” (We Are What Survives Us). This is the process of passing down teachings and beliefs from generation to generation. This passing on of valuable information and lessons throughout the family allows children to develop a moral stance, and thus honour their intrinsic dignity. Since this dignity is so important, and it’s a child’s parents’ responsibility to protect it, injustices that arise through parenting are morally wrong. This is especially true in regards to abortion. This sinful act does not align with my moral and ethical stance, because it disregards and undervalues the intrinsic dignity of each human person. As said in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2270, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life,” thus proving that abortion is murder and a direct violation of the fetus’ dignity. It is the duty of the mother to take responsibility for her own actions, and for the protection of her unborn baby. In general, parents have a huge responsibility to their children and society to take responsibility for themselves and others’ intrinsic human dignity.
-Mama Bear
Conscience and Moral Decision-Making Informed by Scripture and the Church on Parenting
As John Paul II said, “The relationship between man’s freedom and God’s law is most deeply lived out in the ‘heart’ of the person, in his moral conscience”. This goes to show that Scripture and Catholic Tradition inform conscience and moral decision-making immensely, especially regarding parenting. God gifted every single person with the ability to reason, and a conscience. God gave us the gift of a conscience, and it is greatly influenced by Scripture and Catholic Tradition. In Scripture, we are taught the basic rules of God, such as the 10 Commandments, the Beatitudes, many lessons from Jesus through His parables, and many others. Many of these lessons relate to parenting, and provide moral guidance on issues that can arise in this vocation. For example, Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it,” which is a lesson to parents to teach their children values and morality, and they will use it their entire lives without straying from it. We are taught what Catholic values, and lessons that we are to put into practice in our own lives. We must teach our children these valuable lessons that were taught to us by our own parents. This is how the Scriptures inform conscience and moral decision-making in parenting. The Catholic Tradition informs conscience by building on the lessons from the Scriptures. It puts these lessons and moral ways of thinking into a more relevant context for the present society. For example the Catholic Social Teachings help a lot in informing our conscience and moral decision-making since they talk about social injustices occurring in the world, and what moral act should be performed. A lot of the focuses in these documents is placed on children and their care, which is the responsibility of the parent. We have the opportunity to turn to the Church to inform us in order to make the right decisions, especially for our children. Forming your conscience and moral decision-making is a life-long process, which the Catholic Church helps one to do. It is a crucial part of becoming a parent, since you must have a good conscience and moral decision-making process in order to be successful at your job of raising children in God’s path in order to be good citizens and people. Guidance is offered through the Scriptures, the Catholic Tradition, and the members of the Church. These parts of the Catholic Church impact the formation of conscience and moral decision-making tremendously in regards to parenting. Whenever any of you guys feel like you need a bit of guidance with your conscience and moral decision-making, turn to one of these sources to help you. -Mama Bear
So true. Love it!
Cute funny cartoon for you guys :)
Amanda and Richard’s Poverty Experience
Last Sunday my family and I went to Mass as we usually do every week. However, this day was different than every other time we’ve gone. On our walk to the Church, we passed by a homeless man asking for money. The children saw him and began asking me questions, such as what he was doing, why he didn’t have a home, and other innocent childlike questions. They then asked me if we could give him some money. They said they felt sad for him and were being empathetic, which Jesus taught us to be. I was very proud of them. This situation proved that I’ve been doing my job as a parent and teaching my children the ways of God and the Catholic Church. I’ve been properly forming their moral and ethical stance, and they are becoming good citizens and disciples of Jesus. I just thought I’d share this experience with you guys because I was very proud of them, and was wondering if you guys have any proud parent moments similar to this one. I’d love to hear all of them in the comments. -Mama Bear
Parenting: Scripture Illustrating My Moral and Ethical Stance
As a human person and a Catholic especially, I have a moral and ethical stance. When it comes to parenting, my moral and ethical stance can be illustrated by the Scripture passage Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it”. This Scripture passage means that whenever an opportunity arises to help someone in need, we should seize it. This includes performing justice, and charity acts for others. It is calling us to “love thy neighbour as yourself,” (Mark 12:31) which we were taught to do by Jesus. This Scripture passage has a lot of meaning, and it can be applied to almost any situation. As long as there is someone in need who we can help, this passage applies. Thus, in regards to parenting this passage is very relevant. I have always believed in helping others whenever possible, and the basis for my ethical stance was built on caring for others. Hence, when I decided to become a mother I followed this Scripture passage as much, if not more than I had before I became a parent. This passage calls me to be benevolent and generous, which are two necessities for being a parent. I think that all parents should have this moral and ethical stance when it comes to parenting – always give to someone if you are able. This applies for not only my own children, but if I see another child who say needs a Band-Aid, or is thirsty and I have juice boxes, then it is my responsibility to do the right thing and help the child in need. Therefore, this Scripture directly aligns with my moral and ethical stance as a parent to always help those in need, especially since that is what God wants me to do. If you guys can think of any other Scripture passages that illustrate your moral and ethical stances post them in a comment. -Mama Bear
This is my family: me (Kassandra), my husband Nathan, my little girl Amanda, and my little boy Richard.
